The Kimbrian Island Chronicles
Ep. III
Disclaimer: Yeah, whatever, not mine. You money-hungry lawyer peeps can kiss my royal Canadian butt!
Summary: Tracey and Marill have been through thick and thin together. But when Team Rocket kidnaps the little Pokémon, just how far will Tracey go to protect his Pokémon?
A/N: I know this is not what is listed as the next chap at the end of Ep. 11, but that one just wouldn't go anywhere, so this is the new one. You'll see that I was a little desperate for plot material near the end, 'cause I kinda speeded things up with Tracey and Madison...ah, just read the darned thing already, wouldja?
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::FLASHBACK::
A young Tracey Sketchit sighed as he walked along the road. He hated going to school, but it was worse coming home. He hated to be lectured on how he shouldn't be putting so much effort into art class and more into math. He would rather be traveling, like those Pokémon trainers he saw on TV.
A small voice caught his attention. He looked around and finally saw a little Pokémon curled up on the side of the road. He kneeled beside it, wondering what it was. The Pokémon looked up at him with bright eyes. It was a Marill. It spoke in a tiny voice. "I'd love to help you," Tracey said to the Pokémon. "But my parents would be so mad at me if I brought a Pokémon home." He looked at it some more. There was something about it that was making him want to pick it up and cuddle it. He sighed. "What's come over me?" he said. "Why have I become so insensitive? Of course I'll take you home, or at least to the Pokémon Center." He reached down and picked up the Marill. "Mom and Dad are going to be really mad, so I hope you appreciate this."
The Marill smiled and cuddled against Tracey's green shirt. Tracey smiled back and began to walk home.
"What the heck is that thing?" Tracey's father raged as he walked through the door.
Tracey walked to the bathroom. "It's a Pokémon, and it's hurt," he said.
"And what gave you the idea to bring that disease-ridden thing in here?"
Tracey looked back at his father. "It's a Pokémon, and it's hurt," he repeated.
"I heard you the first time, Tracey," his father said. "Now why is it in my house?"
Tracey grabbed a washcloth and began to wipe off the dirt on Marill's skin. "Because I'm not heartless, and I'm not going to let it die in a ditch just 'cause you don't like Pokémon."
A woman walked into the room. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Your son is bringing in strays again," his father muttered.
Tracey tried to ignore him.
"Oh, Tracey, how many times have we told you that you shouldn't be bringing in strays? You know your father doesn't like Pokémon!"
Tracey sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, then, I'll go somewhere else." He picked Marill up again and stormed out of the house. "I'm sorry, Marill," he said to the Pokémon. "But my parents only think of themselves. I'll take you to Madison's house. She loves Pokémon..."
::END FLASHBACK::
Tracey sighed to himself as he remembered that day. He had no clue why he was thinking of it. Maybe it was just because of the way that Marill and Azumarill were playing together. The Pokémon had known each other when they were young, too, because Madison's Azumarill, although a Marill at the time, had been her family pet.
Madison sat down beside Tracey. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" she asked, fiddling with a strand of her hair.
"Nothing," Tracey said.
"You gotta stop fibbing to me," Madison said, smiling. "I know you better than that. You're a horrible liar."
Tracey smiled back. "And you're terrible at keeping things to yourself," he said.
"Yeah, whatever," Madison sighed. "Now, what were you thinking about?"
Tracey looked back at Marill. "Just...just about the day I found Marill," he replied. "And how heartless my parents were."
"They were, weren't they?" Madison said. "Even I didn't like them. Just the way they talked about Pokémon, and about you, it was horrible. Especially the way they talked about you, 'cause you were their son and they didn't care one bit...if I could, I'd go back and kick their butts right now."
"What for?"
Madison shrugged. "Well, think about it," she said. "You would rather lock yourself in a room than go to a party, and when you go to a party, you hide in the corner for the whole thing, I haven't seen you try to talk to one person besides Joy since I ran into you, and you barely even talk to me, your best friend. C'mon, you were never that shy when I first met you. They did that. They made you this shy, 'cause you subconsciously think that everyone is going to not like you just like they didn't."
Tracey raised an eyebrow.
"Parker's a psychologist," Madison said, referring to her older brother. "He teaches me things, ya know?"
Tracey shrugged. "Well, he's a good one," he said. "I do think that way sometimes."
"Well, ya don't need to think that way around me," Madison said. "There's nothing you can say that will ever make me hate you."
Tracey smiled at her, silently wondering if she was trying to come onto him. He sighed and decided to ignore it. "So, any plans for this island?" he said.
"Not really," Madison said. "I know you haven't been here for long, but I've been going non-stop for about three islands in a row, and I'm bushed enough to sleep for a month!"
"Take your time," Tracey said. "I'm in no hurry." He thought of something. "But I do want to go back to Pallet Town in about a year's time," he said.
"Why?"
Tracey shrugged. "Just to visit," he said. "And because one of my old traveling buddies promised me that he'd do something that I've been waiting for him to do if I came back."
"What's that?"
Tracey shrugged. "You'd have to know Ash and Misty to understand."
"That's their names?"
Tracey nodded. "Two of the hardest people to figure out," he said. "You think you can read people, try your luck on those two. I mean, one minute they're fighting like mad, the next, they're best friends...but they have this huge crush on one another, I know they do. And Ash promised me that he'd ask Misty out if I came back to visit in a year."
Madison's face broke into a grin. "Definitely gotta go back then, huh?" she said.
Tracey sighed. "Speaking of which, I guess I could call the professor now that we're not busy," he said. "He'll want to know that I got here okay."
Madison's eyes widened. "Really?" she said.
Tracey stared at her for a moment before biting his lip. "Just don't go psycho on me," he said. "I did that to Ash and Misty, and they're still bugging me about it." He stood up and walked to the bank of videophones. He sat down and dialed in the professor's number.
Professor Oak's face brightened the second he saw Tracey. "Well, I was wondering when you were going to call," he said. "I trust you made it there safely?"
"Yeah, I did," Tracey replied. "I'm sorry I never called sooner, I got kinda busy..."
"That's all right, Tracey," the professor said. "I'm glad you're all right, that's all."
"How are things going there without me?"
"Same old, same old," the professor said
Tracey noticed Madison hanging over his shoulder. "Oh, before she goes nuts, I guess I oughta introduce my friend here." He reached up and pulled her down to sit beside him. "Professor Oak, this is Madison. She was my best friend when we were little. She kinda found me the other day."
Madison flashed a smile. "Nice to sort-of meet you," she said. "I don't really count phone conversations as meeting."
"Neither do I, Madison," the professor said. "And it's nice to know that Tracey isn't alone out there. You make sure he stays out of trouble, okay?"
Madison grinned. "Professor, let me just say now that I'm the one that's likely to get us into trouble. Tracey's just following to try and keep me out of it."
Professor Oak smiled and raised his eyebrows. "I can't wait until you two come to Pallet," he said. "You'll fit in with Ash perfectly."
Madison laughed.
"Well, you two take care," the professor said. "And I'll see you in a while, right?"
Tracey nodded. "That was the deal," he said.
Madison turned and stared at Tracey as soon as they had hung up. "I can not believe that you are that friendly with the world-renowned Professor Oak!"
"Believe it," Tracey said, grinning at her.
* * *
Tracey and Madison lay on the beach, watching their Pokémon splash around in the surf. "Man, it's nice to be in the islands again," Tracey said, lying on his stomach to try and tan his back. "I missed it."
"Missed it?" Madison said. "Trace, you were never from the islands."
Tracey raised an eyebrow at her. "Our secret," he said. "I spent a couple of years there. That was enough to fool people into thinking that I was from the Orange Islands."
"Even Ash and Misty?" Madison said, the names coming a little difficult. After all, she had never met them, only heard of them.
"Yep," Tracey said, rolling back onto his back.
"You don't have any pictures of them or anything, do you?" Madison asked. "I'd like to put a face to the rumors."
Tracey dug through one compartment in his backpack that he saved for personal stuff and pulled out a small photo album. He flipped through a couple of pictures. "That's Misty," he said, referring to a photo of himself and Misty. It had been taken in the Orange Islands, and they were sitting on Lapras' back, her hair down and him not wearing his back-then trademark headband. He sighed and flipped through a couple more. "And that's Ash and Misty together," he said, handing her a photo of Ash and Misty at Ash's going-away party that Delia had thrown just before Ash had left for the Johto League.
Madison smiled. "They look so cute together," she said. "Like that's where they're meant to be, right beside each other."
Tracey nodded. "I was always bugging them about that kinda thing," he said. "Misty usually was the one to freak out. Ash...I think he knows he feels different about her than he did, but he doesn't know how to tell her. Before I left, whenever I'd say something about him liking her, he'd just close up and stop talking. And to stop talking for Ash is really strange."
"Is he afraid of her reaction?" Madison suggested. "He could be scared that she'll shoot him down."
"The kid's only fourteen," Tracey said. "Misty's the only girl he's ever had even a crush on. I think that could be a possibility."
"What about you?" Madison said, an evil grin on her face. "You ever had a crush on someone?"
Tracey rolled his eyes. "No one in my reach," he said.
"What's that mean?"
Tracey sat up. "Madison, my love life is the only thing I won't talk about with ya, okay?"
Madison looked at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Whatever," she said. "A few days ago, you didn't have a love life, and now you do? C'mon, don't play with me."
"I'm not!" Tracey protested.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Madison said. "Anyway, I think we oughta get going here."
Madison was still trying to stop laughing as she stood up and walked towards the beach to gather the Pokémon. But before she could get there, a smoke bomb exploded in her face. "Hey!" she yelled out.
Tracey got up and ran over to her. "What was that?" he said.
Madison rubbed her eyes, trying to get the smoke out of them. "It's Team Rocket again," she muttered, following the words with a string of rating-inappropriate words.
Sure enough, the two members of Team Rocket that had been following Madison, Nathaniel and Natalie, appeared in a speed boat from around the corner. "Hey, I bet we blinded that girl!" Natalie called out. "Throw the net, Nathaniel!"
Tracey bolted for the beach, intent on saving the Pokémon. "Scyther, get those blades ready!" he called.
Scyther struck a pose, ready to slash anything that came within two feet.
"Nice try, man, but we got them!" Nathaniel called out, chucking a net overboard. Scyther swung at it with his blades, but only succeeded in knocking it sideways. The other Pokémon made a dash for the beach.
Tracey looked around at the group of Pokémon. One of them was missing, he could feel it...then it hit him. "Marill!" he called out.
Help! Marill's Poké-voice called out.
Tracey spotted the Pokémon tangled up in the net, thrashing frantically to get away. Tracey ran for her, but Nathaniel was pulling the net in, and Marill was going with the net. "Well," he said as he pulled the Pokémon onto the boat. "It's a start."
Natalie stood up. "You want the Pokémon back? Then you come to our HQ on this island tomorrow and you bring the rest of those Pokémon. I'm sure our regional commander would enjoy meeting you guys."
Nathaniel revved up the boat.
Tracey wouldn't stop running after Marill until the water became too deep for him to run any more. He could hear Marill screaming for him. "Marill!" he nearly screamed.
Madison was watching the scene with a horrified expression on her face as Tracey climbed back onto the beach. "They got her...." he said, dropping to his knees. "They took Marill..."
"It's okay, Trace, we'll get her back," Madison said.
"I couldn't save her...I let them take her..."
"No, you didn't!" Madison insisted. "You tried to save her, I saw you try to save her!"
Tracey felt like his heart was about to stop beating and his breath was coming ragged. Marill...his Pokémon....his best friend...she was gone...
Madison kneeled beside him. "Hey, Trace, calm down," she said. "We're gonna get her back!" She hauled him to his feet. "Now, let's just go to the Pokémon Center and rest up so we have all our senses when we beat the heck outta those creeps!"
* * *
Madison stepped into their rented room and handed Tracey a soda. She couldn't help but worry about him. He hadn't said a word other than to blame himself for Marill's Poké-napping. And he wouldn't look at her. He just kept staring into the abyss. "Tracey, you've got to stop blaming yourself!" she said. "You did what you could to save Marill."
Tracey didn't look up. "But it wasn't enough," he said sadly, feeling a few stray tears work their way down his face. "I couldn't save her."
Madison sat down beside Tracey. "Trace, we're gonna get her back. Those two may be ruthless, but I can be the same way. I won't rest until you have Marill back, you have my word on it."
Tracey finally lifted his head long enough to look at her.
Madison forced a smile. She hated to see him upset, considering that was the way he had been as a kid. "They're gonna regret messing with my friend," she said. "I know that Marill's special to you."
Tracey covered his face with his hands. "I just can't stop thinking of the day I found her..." he said. "I can't forget that look in her eyes....the promise I made to always take care of her...to never leave her..."
"I know," Madison said. "And that's why I'm not giving up on you guys. I'm going to help you, no matter what."
Tracey finally smiled. "Thank you, Madison," he said.
"Have I ever left you out in the cold?" Madison asked. "I lost count of how many kids I beat up because they said something bad about you. You deserved a lot more than you got, that's for sure."
Tracey nodded.
"Although I would really like to see any of them try and top working with Professor Oak," she said. "I mean, that's enough to shut every single person who's ever picked on ya right up."
"Point taken, Madison," Tracey said.
"Let's get some sleep, okay?" she said. "We need our strength."
* * *
Tracey finally got sick of tossing and turning and got out of bed. He walked to the window, shivering at the chill in the air. "Marill..." he whispered. "I hate being apart from you like this...you probably don't even have a warm place to sleep...who knows what they're doing to you..." He wiped tears out of his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Trace?" Madison's voice came from behind him.
Tracey felt her hand on his shoulder. "I can't sleep," he said. "Not when I don't know where she is...not when I don't know if she's hurt or not..." He looked at his friend. "I'm sorry for making you listen to me go on like this."
Madison shook her head. "I would be upset, too, if someone took my Quagsire," she said. "Quagsire was the first Pokémon I caught and evolved on my own...we're pretty much inseparable, too, but not as much as you and Marill."
Tracey couldn't help but admire how she looked in the moonlight. Nothing like what she looked like during the day.
She noticed him staring at her. "What?" she asked.
Before he really knew what he was doing, he found himself moving closer. And while his brain was yelling at him to stop it and get back to bed, he leaned forward and kissed her. He wished he knew what was making him do it, but then again, he also wished he knew why she wasn't fighting him. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he pulled away and immediately looked away, not wanting to see the look of fury in her eyes.
Madison was absolutely stunned. She couldn't even think. Had he really...did he...kiss her? She felt her heart in her throat. "That was a little unexpected," she said.
Tracey clapped a hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry, Madison," he said. "I'm just not thinking straight...I shouldn't have..."
Madison's mind was racing, trying to think of something to do besides just standing there. *C'mon, girl, do something!* her brain scolded. *Look at him, he thinks you hate him now!* She finally reached out to touch his cheek. "It's all right," she said. "We'll talk about it after we get Marill back. Now let's go back to bed."
* * *
Madison stood at the front of the boat, tightening her backpack and strapping two small packs to her legs, in which she put her PokéBalls. She looked back at Tracey, who was locking the things that they didn't need into a small compartment under a seat. "Ready?" she called over the roar of the engine.
Tracey looked up at her and gave a thumbs-up. He was still slightly weirded out by what he had done the night before, but he knew that he couldn't let it get in his way.
Madison cut the engine and they drifted to shore, where, as expected, Nathaniel and Natalie were waiting. "Well, you decided to cave in," Nathaniel said. "Follow us. Our commander is very interested in meeting you."
Tracey clenched his teeth. He was livid. These two had Poké-napped his Pokémon and now they were just chatting it up as if there wasn't a Pokémon's life at stake.
Madison reached over and gently squeezed his hand as if to tell him to calm down.
They were led down hallway after hallway. Finally, Tracey could hear Marill's voice. Natalie opened the door that was at the very end of the hallway. It revealed a large office. "Get in there," Nathaniel growled.
Tracey and Madison obeyed. They looked around the office, fear rising in each of their hearts. Not too many people lived to get out of a Team Rocket base. "Could be worse," Madison said.
"How?" Tracey asked.
"We could be at the base in Viridian and be facing Giovanni," she said. "That would suck pretty good."
Tracey nodded.
A few minutes passed and the door opened. A man in what seemed to be his thirties stepped in. He was wearing a dark blue suit with the Team Rocket logo on the shoulder of it. His black hair was slicked back and his eyes carried a forbidding expression. He stood behind his desk, staring at them before sitting. "Sit," he ordered.
Both of them complied.
"So you were informed of our wishes?"
Madison nodded.
"Good," the man pressed a button. "It's not like that puny thing was anything worth stealing, anyway."
The door opened and a grunt walked in, holding a cage with Marill in it.
"So, Ayleigha, hand your Pokémon over."
Tracey looked over at her as she removed her backpack and pulled out six PokéBalls. He blinked. Weren't her Pokémon in her side packs?
The commander smiled evilly and held one PokéBall in his hand. He opened it, but as soon as he did, there was a bright flash of light and a burst of smoke. Madison jumped out of her chair and practically flew at the guy holding the cage. Everything was a blur to Tracey until Madison grabbed his hand. "Pidgeot, I choose you!" she shouted. A giant birdlike Pokémon appeared. Madison jumped onto its back, still holding the cage. "C'mon, Trace!" she called, pulling him up onto the bird's back. "Pidgeot, Drill Peck that wall and let's get out of here!"
Pidgeot flew at the wall and smashed it with it's powerful beak.
Tracey was just about to cheer when something appeared in front of them. "It's a Fearow!" he called.
"They think they can stop us?" Madison said, half to herself.
Tracey knew that they wouldn't get out without beating the Fearow that was trying to block them. Since Marill was still locked in the cage, he held his second-most-trusted Pokémon's Ball in his hand. "Venonat, come out and help us," he said. The PokéBall opened and Venonat appeared. "Psybeam," Tracey ordered.
Venonat nodded and a multicoloured beam shot out from between her antenna, hitting the Fearow head on. The Fearow tried to ward it off, but being part Normal-type, it had a low tolerance for Psychic attacks. It started to plummet to the ground, but they didn't stick around long enough to see what happened.
* * *
Madison smiled as she watched Tracey hug his Marill as if his life depended on it. "Well, didn't I tell you that we'd get her back?" she asked.
Tracey nodded and stood up, Marill still in his arms. "Thank you, Madison," he said.
Marill agreed. Thanks, she said.
Madison's smile grew. "No problem."
"What happened back there, anyway?" Tracey asked. "What was up with those PokéBalls?"
Madison sighed. "Did I ever mention that Lara Croft is my hero in life?" she said. "Nah, my sister's working in a chemistry lab, and some of the things she comes up with really helps. That thing that went off is actually meant to just stun Pokémon - in case I get attacked - and the smoke stuff paralyzes them. I always wondered if they worked on humans, too..."
"Cool," Tracey said.
Madison watched him for a moment before she brought up the subject that Tracey had hoped she would forget about. "Now, Tracey....about that kiss..."
TO BE CONTINUED....
A/N: Getting interesting? Probably not, but who cares? I have no clue where that kiss scene came from, so I'm waiting for the next ep to come up with Tracey's explanation. Who knows how long it's gonna take for the next one, though....this isn't really my most smoothly moving fic.
Ep. III
Disclaimer: Yeah, whatever, not mine. You money-hungry lawyer peeps can kiss my royal Canadian butt!
Summary: Tracey and Marill have been through thick and thin together. But when Team Rocket kidnaps the little Pokémon, just how far will Tracey go to protect his Pokémon?
A/N: I know this is not what is listed as the next chap at the end of Ep. 11, but that one just wouldn't go anywhere, so this is the new one. You'll see that I was a little desperate for plot material near the end, 'cause I kinda speeded things up with Tracey and Madison...ah, just read the darned thing already, wouldja?
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::FLASHBACK::
A young Tracey Sketchit sighed as he walked along the road. He hated going to school, but it was worse coming home. He hated to be lectured on how he shouldn't be putting so much effort into art class and more into math. He would rather be traveling, like those Pokémon trainers he saw on TV.
A small voice caught his attention. He looked around and finally saw a little Pokémon curled up on the side of the road. He kneeled beside it, wondering what it was. The Pokémon looked up at him with bright eyes. It was a Marill. It spoke in a tiny voice. "I'd love to help you," Tracey said to the Pokémon. "But my parents would be so mad at me if I brought a Pokémon home." He looked at it some more. There was something about it that was making him want to pick it up and cuddle it. He sighed. "What's come over me?" he said. "Why have I become so insensitive? Of course I'll take you home, or at least to the Pokémon Center." He reached down and picked up the Marill. "Mom and Dad are going to be really mad, so I hope you appreciate this."
The Marill smiled and cuddled against Tracey's green shirt. Tracey smiled back and began to walk home.
"What the heck is that thing?" Tracey's father raged as he walked through the door.
Tracey walked to the bathroom. "It's a Pokémon, and it's hurt," he said.
"And what gave you the idea to bring that disease-ridden thing in here?"
Tracey looked back at his father. "It's a Pokémon, and it's hurt," he repeated.
"I heard you the first time, Tracey," his father said. "Now why is it in my house?"
Tracey grabbed a washcloth and began to wipe off the dirt on Marill's skin. "Because I'm not heartless, and I'm not going to let it die in a ditch just 'cause you don't like Pokémon."
A woman walked into the room. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Your son is bringing in strays again," his father muttered.
Tracey tried to ignore him.
"Oh, Tracey, how many times have we told you that you shouldn't be bringing in strays? You know your father doesn't like Pokémon!"
Tracey sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, then, I'll go somewhere else." He picked Marill up again and stormed out of the house. "I'm sorry, Marill," he said to the Pokémon. "But my parents only think of themselves. I'll take you to Madison's house. She loves Pokémon..."
::END FLASHBACK::
Tracey sighed to himself as he remembered that day. He had no clue why he was thinking of it. Maybe it was just because of the way that Marill and Azumarill were playing together. The Pokémon had known each other when they were young, too, because Madison's Azumarill, although a Marill at the time, had been her family pet.
Madison sat down beside Tracey. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" she asked, fiddling with a strand of her hair.
"Nothing," Tracey said.
"You gotta stop fibbing to me," Madison said, smiling. "I know you better than that. You're a horrible liar."
Tracey smiled back. "And you're terrible at keeping things to yourself," he said.
"Yeah, whatever," Madison sighed. "Now, what were you thinking about?"
Tracey looked back at Marill. "Just...just about the day I found Marill," he replied. "And how heartless my parents were."
"They were, weren't they?" Madison said. "Even I didn't like them. Just the way they talked about Pokémon, and about you, it was horrible. Especially the way they talked about you, 'cause you were their son and they didn't care one bit...if I could, I'd go back and kick their butts right now."
"What for?"
Madison shrugged. "Well, think about it," she said. "You would rather lock yourself in a room than go to a party, and when you go to a party, you hide in the corner for the whole thing, I haven't seen you try to talk to one person besides Joy since I ran into you, and you barely even talk to me, your best friend. C'mon, you were never that shy when I first met you. They did that. They made you this shy, 'cause you subconsciously think that everyone is going to not like you just like they didn't."
Tracey raised an eyebrow.
"Parker's a psychologist," Madison said, referring to her older brother. "He teaches me things, ya know?"
Tracey shrugged. "Well, he's a good one," he said. "I do think that way sometimes."
"Well, ya don't need to think that way around me," Madison said. "There's nothing you can say that will ever make me hate you."
Tracey smiled at her, silently wondering if she was trying to come onto him. He sighed and decided to ignore it. "So, any plans for this island?" he said.
"Not really," Madison said. "I know you haven't been here for long, but I've been going non-stop for about three islands in a row, and I'm bushed enough to sleep for a month!"
"Take your time," Tracey said. "I'm in no hurry." He thought of something. "But I do want to go back to Pallet Town in about a year's time," he said.
"Why?"
Tracey shrugged. "Just to visit," he said. "And because one of my old traveling buddies promised me that he'd do something that I've been waiting for him to do if I came back."
"What's that?"
Tracey shrugged. "You'd have to know Ash and Misty to understand."
"That's their names?"
Tracey nodded. "Two of the hardest people to figure out," he said. "You think you can read people, try your luck on those two. I mean, one minute they're fighting like mad, the next, they're best friends...but they have this huge crush on one another, I know they do. And Ash promised me that he'd ask Misty out if I came back to visit in a year."
Madison's face broke into a grin. "Definitely gotta go back then, huh?" she said.
Tracey sighed. "Speaking of which, I guess I could call the professor now that we're not busy," he said. "He'll want to know that I got here okay."
Madison's eyes widened. "Really?" she said.
Tracey stared at her for a moment before biting his lip. "Just don't go psycho on me," he said. "I did that to Ash and Misty, and they're still bugging me about it." He stood up and walked to the bank of videophones. He sat down and dialed in the professor's number.
Professor Oak's face brightened the second he saw Tracey. "Well, I was wondering when you were going to call," he said. "I trust you made it there safely?"
"Yeah, I did," Tracey replied. "I'm sorry I never called sooner, I got kinda busy..."
"That's all right, Tracey," the professor said. "I'm glad you're all right, that's all."
"How are things going there without me?"
"Same old, same old," the professor said
Tracey noticed Madison hanging over his shoulder. "Oh, before she goes nuts, I guess I oughta introduce my friend here." He reached up and pulled her down to sit beside him. "Professor Oak, this is Madison. She was my best friend when we were little. She kinda found me the other day."
Madison flashed a smile. "Nice to sort-of meet you," she said. "I don't really count phone conversations as meeting."
"Neither do I, Madison," the professor said. "And it's nice to know that Tracey isn't alone out there. You make sure he stays out of trouble, okay?"
Madison grinned. "Professor, let me just say now that I'm the one that's likely to get us into trouble. Tracey's just following to try and keep me out of it."
Professor Oak smiled and raised his eyebrows. "I can't wait until you two come to Pallet," he said. "You'll fit in with Ash perfectly."
Madison laughed.
"Well, you two take care," the professor said. "And I'll see you in a while, right?"
Tracey nodded. "That was the deal," he said.
Madison turned and stared at Tracey as soon as they had hung up. "I can not believe that you are that friendly with the world-renowned Professor Oak!"
"Believe it," Tracey said, grinning at her.
* * *
Tracey and Madison lay on the beach, watching their Pokémon splash around in the surf. "Man, it's nice to be in the islands again," Tracey said, lying on his stomach to try and tan his back. "I missed it."
"Missed it?" Madison said. "Trace, you were never from the islands."
Tracey raised an eyebrow at her. "Our secret," he said. "I spent a couple of years there. That was enough to fool people into thinking that I was from the Orange Islands."
"Even Ash and Misty?" Madison said, the names coming a little difficult. After all, she had never met them, only heard of them.
"Yep," Tracey said, rolling back onto his back.
"You don't have any pictures of them or anything, do you?" Madison asked. "I'd like to put a face to the rumors."
Tracey dug through one compartment in his backpack that he saved for personal stuff and pulled out a small photo album. He flipped through a couple of pictures. "That's Misty," he said, referring to a photo of himself and Misty. It had been taken in the Orange Islands, and they were sitting on Lapras' back, her hair down and him not wearing his back-then trademark headband. He sighed and flipped through a couple more. "And that's Ash and Misty together," he said, handing her a photo of Ash and Misty at Ash's going-away party that Delia had thrown just before Ash had left for the Johto League.
Madison smiled. "They look so cute together," she said. "Like that's where they're meant to be, right beside each other."
Tracey nodded. "I was always bugging them about that kinda thing," he said. "Misty usually was the one to freak out. Ash...I think he knows he feels different about her than he did, but he doesn't know how to tell her. Before I left, whenever I'd say something about him liking her, he'd just close up and stop talking. And to stop talking for Ash is really strange."
"Is he afraid of her reaction?" Madison suggested. "He could be scared that she'll shoot him down."
"The kid's only fourteen," Tracey said. "Misty's the only girl he's ever had even a crush on. I think that could be a possibility."
"What about you?" Madison said, an evil grin on her face. "You ever had a crush on someone?"
Tracey rolled his eyes. "No one in my reach," he said.
"What's that mean?"
Tracey sat up. "Madison, my love life is the only thing I won't talk about with ya, okay?"
Madison looked at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Whatever," she said. "A few days ago, you didn't have a love life, and now you do? C'mon, don't play with me."
"I'm not!" Tracey protested.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Madison said. "Anyway, I think we oughta get going here."
Madison was still trying to stop laughing as she stood up and walked towards the beach to gather the Pokémon. But before she could get there, a smoke bomb exploded in her face. "Hey!" she yelled out.
Tracey got up and ran over to her. "What was that?" he said.
Madison rubbed her eyes, trying to get the smoke out of them. "It's Team Rocket again," she muttered, following the words with a string of rating-inappropriate words.
Sure enough, the two members of Team Rocket that had been following Madison, Nathaniel and Natalie, appeared in a speed boat from around the corner. "Hey, I bet we blinded that girl!" Natalie called out. "Throw the net, Nathaniel!"
Tracey bolted for the beach, intent on saving the Pokémon. "Scyther, get those blades ready!" he called.
Scyther struck a pose, ready to slash anything that came within two feet.
"Nice try, man, but we got them!" Nathaniel called out, chucking a net overboard. Scyther swung at it with his blades, but only succeeded in knocking it sideways. The other Pokémon made a dash for the beach.
Tracey looked around at the group of Pokémon. One of them was missing, he could feel it...then it hit him. "Marill!" he called out.
Help! Marill's Poké-voice called out.
Tracey spotted the Pokémon tangled up in the net, thrashing frantically to get away. Tracey ran for her, but Nathaniel was pulling the net in, and Marill was going with the net. "Well," he said as he pulled the Pokémon onto the boat. "It's a start."
Natalie stood up. "You want the Pokémon back? Then you come to our HQ on this island tomorrow and you bring the rest of those Pokémon. I'm sure our regional commander would enjoy meeting you guys."
Nathaniel revved up the boat.
Tracey wouldn't stop running after Marill until the water became too deep for him to run any more. He could hear Marill screaming for him. "Marill!" he nearly screamed.
Madison was watching the scene with a horrified expression on her face as Tracey climbed back onto the beach. "They got her...." he said, dropping to his knees. "They took Marill..."
"It's okay, Trace, we'll get her back," Madison said.
"I couldn't save her...I let them take her..."
"No, you didn't!" Madison insisted. "You tried to save her, I saw you try to save her!"
Tracey felt like his heart was about to stop beating and his breath was coming ragged. Marill...his Pokémon....his best friend...she was gone...
Madison kneeled beside him. "Hey, Trace, calm down," she said. "We're gonna get her back!" She hauled him to his feet. "Now, let's just go to the Pokémon Center and rest up so we have all our senses when we beat the heck outta those creeps!"
* * *
Madison stepped into their rented room and handed Tracey a soda. She couldn't help but worry about him. He hadn't said a word other than to blame himself for Marill's Poké-napping. And he wouldn't look at her. He just kept staring into the abyss. "Tracey, you've got to stop blaming yourself!" she said. "You did what you could to save Marill."
Tracey didn't look up. "But it wasn't enough," he said sadly, feeling a few stray tears work their way down his face. "I couldn't save her."
Madison sat down beside Tracey. "Trace, we're gonna get her back. Those two may be ruthless, but I can be the same way. I won't rest until you have Marill back, you have my word on it."
Tracey finally lifted his head long enough to look at her.
Madison forced a smile. She hated to see him upset, considering that was the way he had been as a kid. "They're gonna regret messing with my friend," she said. "I know that Marill's special to you."
Tracey covered his face with his hands. "I just can't stop thinking of the day I found her..." he said. "I can't forget that look in her eyes....the promise I made to always take care of her...to never leave her..."
"I know," Madison said. "And that's why I'm not giving up on you guys. I'm going to help you, no matter what."
Tracey finally smiled. "Thank you, Madison," he said.
"Have I ever left you out in the cold?" Madison asked. "I lost count of how many kids I beat up because they said something bad about you. You deserved a lot more than you got, that's for sure."
Tracey nodded.
"Although I would really like to see any of them try and top working with Professor Oak," she said. "I mean, that's enough to shut every single person who's ever picked on ya right up."
"Point taken, Madison," Tracey said.
"Let's get some sleep, okay?" she said. "We need our strength."
* * *
Tracey finally got sick of tossing and turning and got out of bed. He walked to the window, shivering at the chill in the air. "Marill..." he whispered. "I hate being apart from you like this...you probably don't even have a warm place to sleep...who knows what they're doing to you..." He wiped tears out of his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Trace?" Madison's voice came from behind him.
Tracey felt her hand on his shoulder. "I can't sleep," he said. "Not when I don't know where she is...not when I don't know if she's hurt or not..." He looked at his friend. "I'm sorry for making you listen to me go on like this."
Madison shook her head. "I would be upset, too, if someone took my Quagsire," she said. "Quagsire was the first Pokémon I caught and evolved on my own...we're pretty much inseparable, too, but not as much as you and Marill."
Tracey couldn't help but admire how she looked in the moonlight. Nothing like what she looked like during the day.
She noticed him staring at her. "What?" she asked.
Before he really knew what he was doing, he found himself moving closer. And while his brain was yelling at him to stop it and get back to bed, he leaned forward and kissed her. He wished he knew what was making him do it, but then again, he also wished he knew why she wasn't fighting him. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he pulled away and immediately looked away, not wanting to see the look of fury in her eyes.
Madison was absolutely stunned. She couldn't even think. Had he really...did he...kiss her? She felt her heart in her throat. "That was a little unexpected," she said.
Tracey clapped a hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry, Madison," he said. "I'm just not thinking straight...I shouldn't have..."
Madison's mind was racing, trying to think of something to do besides just standing there. *C'mon, girl, do something!* her brain scolded. *Look at him, he thinks you hate him now!* She finally reached out to touch his cheek. "It's all right," she said. "We'll talk about it after we get Marill back. Now let's go back to bed."
* * *
Madison stood at the front of the boat, tightening her backpack and strapping two small packs to her legs, in which she put her PokéBalls. She looked back at Tracey, who was locking the things that they didn't need into a small compartment under a seat. "Ready?" she called over the roar of the engine.
Tracey looked up at her and gave a thumbs-up. He was still slightly weirded out by what he had done the night before, but he knew that he couldn't let it get in his way.
Madison cut the engine and they drifted to shore, where, as expected, Nathaniel and Natalie were waiting. "Well, you decided to cave in," Nathaniel said. "Follow us. Our commander is very interested in meeting you."
Tracey clenched his teeth. He was livid. These two had Poké-napped his Pokémon and now they were just chatting it up as if there wasn't a Pokémon's life at stake.
Madison reached over and gently squeezed his hand as if to tell him to calm down.
They were led down hallway after hallway. Finally, Tracey could hear Marill's voice. Natalie opened the door that was at the very end of the hallway. It revealed a large office. "Get in there," Nathaniel growled.
Tracey and Madison obeyed. They looked around the office, fear rising in each of their hearts. Not too many people lived to get out of a Team Rocket base. "Could be worse," Madison said.
"How?" Tracey asked.
"We could be at the base in Viridian and be facing Giovanni," she said. "That would suck pretty good."
Tracey nodded.
A few minutes passed and the door opened. A man in what seemed to be his thirties stepped in. He was wearing a dark blue suit with the Team Rocket logo on the shoulder of it. His black hair was slicked back and his eyes carried a forbidding expression. He stood behind his desk, staring at them before sitting. "Sit," he ordered.
Both of them complied.
"So you were informed of our wishes?"
Madison nodded.
"Good," the man pressed a button. "It's not like that puny thing was anything worth stealing, anyway."
The door opened and a grunt walked in, holding a cage with Marill in it.
"So, Ayleigha, hand your Pokémon over."
Tracey looked over at her as she removed her backpack and pulled out six PokéBalls. He blinked. Weren't her Pokémon in her side packs?
The commander smiled evilly and held one PokéBall in his hand. He opened it, but as soon as he did, there was a bright flash of light and a burst of smoke. Madison jumped out of her chair and practically flew at the guy holding the cage. Everything was a blur to Tracey until Madison grabbed his hand. "Pidgeot, I choose you!" she shouted. A giant birdlike Pokémon appeared. Madison jumped onto its back, still holding the cage. "C'mon, Trace!" she called, pulling him up onto the bird's back. "Pidgeot, Drill Peck that wall and let's get out of here!"
Pidgeot flew at the wall and smashed it with it's powerful beak.
Tracey was just about to cheer when something appeared in front of them. "It's a Fearow!" he called.
"They think they can stop us?" Madison said, half to herself.
Tracey knew that they wouldn't get out without beating the Fearow that was trying to block them. Since Marill was still locked in the cage, he held his second-most-trusted Pokémon's Ball in his hand. "Venonat, come out and help us," he said. The PokéBall opened and Venonat appeared. "Psybeam," Tracey ordered.
Venonat nodded and a multicoloured beam shot out from between her antenna, hitting the Fearow head on. The Fearow tried to ward it off, but being part Normal-type, it had a low tolerance for Psychic attacks. It started to plummet to the ground, but they didn't stick around long enough to see what happened.
* * *
Madison smiled as she watched Tracey hug his Marill as if his life depended on it. "Well, didn't I tell you that we'd get her back?" she asked.
Tracey nodded and stood up, Marill still in his arms. "Thank you, Madison," he said.
Marill agreed. Thanks, she said.
Madison's smile grew. "No problem."
"What happened back there, anyway?" Tracey asked. "What was up with those PokéBalls?"
Madison sighed. "Did I ever mention that Lara Croft is my hero in life?" she said. "Nah, my sister's working in a chemistry lab, and some of the things she comes up with really helps. That thing that went off is actually meant to just stun Pokémon - in case I get attacked - and the smoke stuff paralyzes them. I always wondered if they worked on humans, too..."
"Cool," Tracey said.
Madison watched him for a moment before she brought up the subject that Tracey had hoped she would forget about. "Now, Tracey....about that kiss..."
TO BE CONTINUED....
A/N: Getting interesting? Probably not, but who cares? I have no clue where that kiss scene came from, so I'm waiting for the next ep to come up with Tracey's explanation. Who knows how long it's gonna take for the next one, though....this isn't really my most smoothly moving fic.